Maisie, Iva, Grace, Thelma and Louise are permanent residents at NSW Hen Rescue. They were all rescued from factory farms and stayed with us because they needed extra care or they bonded with hens that needed extra care. As we now have limited space from which to run the hen rescue we are looking for a loving, long-term foster home for these 5 girls so that we will have space to rescue and rehome up to 20 hens a week. That means that by fostering these hens you are not only helping them, but also another 20 cages hens each week.
Let me tell you a little bit about these special ladies:
Maisie
Maisie is an isa brown hen (approx 2 years old) and was rescued from a battery cage in January this year. Sharron and I stood in front of 3 tiers of cages, each cage packed with 7 hens. Sharron saw Maisie straight away and told me, “we have to save this girl”. There was clearly something wrong with Maisie. Her legs stuck out at awkward angles and she looked uncomfortable. As Sharron gently lifted her out of the cage she could feel how swollen Maisie was. In fact she was so swollen that it was hard to hold her. She was heavy with fluid and it felt like trying to hold a jelly. As often happens with laying hens Maisie had problems with her reproductive system. We took her to the vets several times and she had the fluid drained from her abdomen and a Suprelorin implant to stop her laying eggs. She will need to go back to the vets every few months to check her progress and she may need a replacement implant in the future. Maisie has been loving life ever since she was rescued. She is a friendly girl who will follow you around the garden.
Iva
Iva is an isa brown hen who was rescued from a free range farm. Despite not being caged she lived her life crammed into a shed with thousands of other hens. Her rescuers were conducting an investigation and were not planning to rescue that night, but when they found little Iva outside the shed and vulnerable to predators and the elements they couldn’t leave her. Iva is one of the sweetest hens you will ever meet. She gets along with everyone. She stayed with us as she bonded so well with the other 4 permanent girls. We didn’t have the heart to take her away from them. She is in great health and seems quite young. We guess Iva is about 1 year old.
Grace
Grace is a white leghorn who was rescued from a battery farm in October 2013. She was found on the floor of the farm next to dead chickens. She was so tiny and thin and stood hunched in the filth. Her wings are so small she was not able to fly up to the feeding troughs so had been without food and water for days. She must have been dropped after being pulled out of the cage to be taken to slaughter. After rescue we were not sure if Grace would pull through. She had a nasty respiratory infection and was anaemic and thin. With love, care and veterinary attention she did make and is now a feisty, cheeky chicken who rules the roost.
Thelma and Louise
Thelma and Louise are white leghorns who were both rescued from a battery cage. They had lost many feathers and were in terrible condition. They were also very noisy! When they arrived home I put a leg tag on each girl just so I could ensure I didn’t rehome to a suburban home. These girls loved to shout! For this reason it took longer to find them a home and they bonded with Grace and her friend Hope (who has now passed away). They have quietened down a lot. In fact now I barely hear a peep from them. The noise must have been due to stress. They are great friends and Louise in particular loves to try and escape her run and take a stroll around the garden.
What kind of home we are looking for?
- These special friends need a loving and caring home.
- They must go to a home together
- If you have other chickens there must be a separate area for the girls to settle inand be introduced slowly to minimise stress
- They must have plenty of space to roam
- Predator proof night time enclosure
- Willing to feed back some of the hens’ eggs to the girls
- Able to keep a close eye on the hens’ condition and whether they may need veterinary treatment
- Able to drive the hens to a bird vet (ability to get to Sydney Uni vets near Camden is ideal – incase Maisie needs surgery in the future)
- Willing to communicate with Hen Rescue regarding the hens
- Plenty of shade to keep the hens cool on hot days and willing to take eztra steps to cool them down on very hot days (e.g sprinkler)
How Long-Term Fostering Works
Fostering these 5 girls is more like adopting than regular fostering. This is because we need to find somewhere the hens can settle down, stay together and enjoy life. The difference is that you will be required to stay in touch with Hen Rescue regarding the girls’ health and you will be more likely to have to make some vet trips. We would pay for (or reimburse) vet bills for the 5 girls, but you would pay for feed, worming etc.
Why not just rehome the girls?
It would not be fair to expect an adopter to foot the vet bills of these hens as Grace and Maisie are more likely than other hens to require vet treatment in the future.
These hens are part of the Hen Rescue family so we want to ensure we can keep track of how they are doing. Maisie will need vet checkups every few months and may need an operation in the future. Although we will cover the expenses the foster carer would be required to take her to the vets as well as any of the other hens who require vet treatment.
In the case the foster carer could no longer foster the hens they would be required to contact us so that we could take them back.
Want to foster these gorgeous hens?
New applicants should complete the adoption application form here (please disregard the adoption fee and vet bill questions) : Adoption Application Form
If you are a previous adopter just contact us.
If the home sounds suitable we will contact you to ask for a photo of the hens’ intended living area(s) As foster homes are viewed as an extension of NSW Hen Rescue we will conduct an inspection of the hens’ intended living area to ensure everything is suitable.
Thank you for considering fostering these sweet hens.
